


More Than Meets The Eye

by cyren2132



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Disguise, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, Halloween Costumes, Humor, Stakeout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 08:46:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16472369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyren2132/pseuds/cyren2132
Summary: Mac and Jack go undercover as a couple to stop a suspected arms deal on Halloween night.





	More Than Meets The Eye

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iwasanartist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasanartist/gifts).



> Iwasanartist, I hope you find this a worthy entry, because I could almost immediately hear Jack in your prompt. There wasn't really time to flesh out the case, but I tried to make up for it in other ways.

…THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION…YOU PROBABLY COULDN’T FIND IT...

“I hate this. I hate everything about this.”

“Oh come on Mac, let's be real, we're practically an old married couple anyway.”

“How do you figure?!”

“We spend all our time together, we know each other's secrets, you can't stand most of my cooking-”

“Jack, what you do to most food isn't cooking, it's cruel and unusual.”

“See what I mean! We fight like it, too! All's we gotta do is pretend like we're doing the old horizontal tango when nobody's looking, and since nobody'll be looking, it should be a piece of cake. Matty, sign us up for some wedding gifts, I've got my eye on this little thing…”

* * *

 

This wasn’t what Mac did. He could break into anything, steal just about everything and if he really tried, he probably actually could make a weapon out of a pine cone, paper clip and piece of chewing gum. But playing house with Jack while spying on a Roger Sypes, a neighbor who didn’t seem to be the criminal mastermind/arms dealer somebody at the FBI thought, was testing his patience. He couldn’t believe it, but he actually missed the days when a stakeout with Jack meant setting up shop in a cramped studio across the street from the suspect with nothing but surveillance gear, cheese whiz, day-old coffee and a truly ancient Game Boy to pass the time.

That was a stakeout. You don’t get to know the neighbors on a stakeout, and you certainly didn’t cuddle while watching reality TV in full view of a wide open picture window. Though, if he were being honest, Jack was a pretty good in the cuddle department. Mac had just settled into his spot on the couch with a laptop showing views from the cameras they’d set up in Roger’s house when the garage cam caught him stepping out into the backyard with a bundle of cardboard under one arm. But that wasn’t what made Mac sit up straight, pull the laptop closer to his face and then glance out the window.

“Jack, are we recording?!” he called into the kitchen.

“Nothing to record,” Jack called back, and Mac could hear the refrigerator door slam shut with a kick.

“He’s on a phone!” Mac said. Jack popped his head into the living room.

“Can’t be. Riley cloned his phone and we bugged the landline two days ago.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Mac said, vaulting over the back of the couch. “Maybe he picked up a burner, but we need to know what he’s saying.” Mac’s hand was on the sliding glass door before he stopped. It was a loud door, and if Sypes heard it, he’d surely end the call before they could find out what it was about. Mac detoured to the laundry room. There was a small window just big enough to squeeze through, and he hit the grass silently — grateful, for once, that they’d spent time raking leaves — ducked below the fence line and approached him.

“Look, Harrison, I don’t have time for this. This bumblebee costume isn’t building itself,” Sypes said angrily into the handset. “I told you. I’m taking my boy trick or treating. I only have him tonight, and if you can’t meet us then, the deal’s off. … Yes, I’m serious, look at this thing…” Mac could hear Roger’s fingers tapping heavily on his phone. Sending a picture, maybe? “Now, are you going to be there? … Great. … Oh, and Harrison, wear a costume. It’s Halloween.”

Sypes must have finished the phone call, because the next thing Mac could hear sounded like he was cutting into the cardboard he’d carried out, folding it and taping it back together. Mac retreated back to the laundry room window and hauled himself inside with a little help from Jack.

“What was that all about?”

“Sounds like he’s making the drop tonight during trick-or-treating.”

“Mixing crime-lording with candy grabbing? That’s just not right.”

“I guess we’ll just have to follow them and-”

“Hold up,” Jack interrupted. “Just a hot minute, we cannot be the two grown men lurking around following a bunch trick or treaters. That neighborhood watch lady will be all up in our business before the first doorbell, because I don’t know if you noticed, but she didn’t seem to like ‘Jake’ and ‘Max’ that much. We gotta have a better plan.”

“Damn it, you’re right.” Mac chewed the edge of his thumb while he thought about the situation. Maybe they could pick up some of those cheap drones that look like witches on broomsticks flying around. Hook up some cameras to it and—

His phone rang, and Matty’s face stared at him from the screen.

“Hey, Matty.”

“Mac, how are things going there?”

“Ummm, depends on how you look at it.” He was halfway through explaining the situation when an idea struck. He headed for the sliding glass door to the backyard. “Are you busy tonight? Could you come over here?” He pulled the door open, and sure enough it was incredibly loud.

“Can I come over there? Mac, it’s Halloween night, I’m going to have brats lining the street ready to egg any house that doesn’t have a light on.”

“Are you sure, sweetie?” Mac said as he stepped into the yard and began pacing through the grass. “You were really excited about this weekend earlier.”

“ **What** did you just say to me?”

“Aw, come on. There’s nothing to be scared of. You’re with friends. No one is going to laugh.”

“ _MacGyver_.” She sounded pissed and Mac did his level best not to wince.

“Well, if you’re really sure, Daddy can pick you up, and we’ll all do something together.”

“I don’t like where this-”

“Okay, see you soon. Love you, too.”

Mac hung up the phone, put it on silent and shoved it in his pocket. He’d just hung up on THE Matilda Webber. This was a plan that needed to work. He glanced over the fence and saw Roger, watching him out of the corner of one eye while an airbrush coated his cardboard creation in yellow paint .

“Kid?” He asked.

“Uh...yeah. Girl. She's at a Halloween party sleepover weekend in the old neighborhood, been there half a day and already ready to leave.”

“Huh. Didn't know you boys had a little one.”

“Yeah, she was staying with Jake’s sister while we got set up here. Was supposed to move in Sunday, but I guess it’s early now.”

“Did you adopt or did one of ya...supply the goods. If you don't mind me asking.”

“Adopted.”

“Huh.”

Mac watched as Sypes unscrewed the yellow paint and replaced it with black, spraying out the last of the yellow on a piece of scrap before adding black lines over his creation.

“You know," Mac said, "being new and all, we don’t know really know what the trick or treat situation is like here? Do you guys do neighborhood stuff or is it all trunk or treat in church parking lots?”

There are some church things. But, well, they’re church things. Neighborhood’s pretty good. I'm taking Ronnie out at 8. You're welcome to join us”

“Really? That’d be great! Thanks, man, I really appreciate it!”

“Don’t mention it. We’ll swing by and grab you on the way out.”

“Sounds good.” Mac nodded and headed back to the house. As soon as the door was shut, he could hear Jack in the other room.

“Well, Matty, I don’t know what he was thinking. Hey, Mac! What exactly were you thinking? Matty, I’ma put you on speaker.” Jack pushed a button and held the phone out.

“Mac,” Matty said with a voice that was dangerously sweet. “What the hell was that?”

“That,” Mac said, “was the start of our new plan to stop this arms deal in it’s tracks, but we need you here to do it. Jack’s coming to get you.”

“What? Why am I-”

“Because. Trust me.”

* * *

 

“THIS was your big plan?” Matty yelled. “I’m supposed to pretend to be your _daughter_? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, MacGyver, but I am a grown woman, not an 8-year-old little girl.”

“Relax, it's Halloween,” Jack said. “Nobody has to see your face...not that there's anything wrong with your face; you are a very youthful woman.”

Matty turned her gaze to Jack.

“And just what am I supposed to wear, huh Dalton?!”

“I think I can whip something up.” Mac pulled out his knife and glanced around the room.

“Oh, great. What are you going to do? Rip out some ductwork and make a full-body robot suit?”

“I've got something better in mind.”

* * *

 

“I hate every part of this.”

“Join the club.” Mac had just finished the paint on some fake stitches and glued a pair of foam bolts to his neck when he turned to look at Matty. Well, look at her eyes peeking out from two rough holes cut into a table cloth.

“Just so you know, you and Dalton are cleaning my house when this is over.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The doorbell rang, and Jack — in full Dracula gear — came hurrying down the hall.

“I got it, I got it,” he said. “Finish your makeup.”

“I thought it was done,” Mac muttered as he turned back to the mirror.

“It’s fine, Blondie, focus,” Matty said. The front door swung open and even from the den, they could hear Jack’s loud greeting. “Remember the plan. We all go ‘trick or treating’ but as soon as Sypes breaks off to make his deal, you stick to him like glue. Inconspicuous, out-of-sight glue.”

“Right. And after the drop, radio in so the strike team can follow the buyer, then we finish up the night and deal with Sypes once Ronnie’s in bed, because we’re not monsters. We just look like them.”

“Okay, let’s get out of here.”

When they got to the foyer, a boy encased in yellow and black cardboard was standing back up.

“Whoa-ho! That’s awesome, little man!” Jack hollered. “Max, when you said Ronnie was going to be a bumblebee, you didn’t say he was a robot in disguise!”

“Didn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

Jack grinned and pulled Mac close to him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

“You’re just always looking out for me.”

“Someone has to,” Mac said, motioning toward Sypes, who stared back at him through wire-rimmed glasses with a stocking cap perched atop his head. “No costume, Roger?”

“I was going to do Optimus, but not enough cardboard or time, so Captain Archibald Witwicky at your service.” He turned to Matty “and who might this little ghost be?”

“That’s our daughter, Matty,” Jack said as he quickly shifted sides so he was sandwiched between Mac and Matty with one arm draped over her shoulders, forcing a little more distance between her and Sypes.

“Hi,” Matty said softly. Sypes cocked his head and narrowed his eyes slightly and for a moment Mac was terrified he’d see through the last-minute costume.

“What do you say we hit the road?” he said, clapping his hands together loudly. Sypes turned to him, but still looked a little suspicious.

“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, we can do that.”

“Great!” Jack said. He wrapped his free arm back around Mac’s waist and pulled him in for little kiss on the cheek. “’Cause we gotta get some sweets for my sweeties, boy, it’s Halloween! Best night of the year!”

“I can think of a few a better,” Mac said casually and the whole scene was enough to make Sypes shake his head and laugh.

“All right,” he said “You ready ‘Bee?”

“Ready!” Ronnie said and together the five of them left the house and went out into the night.


End file.
